The Mage of Winterhold
by Xidori-chan
Summary: Riku and King Mickey arrived to Skyrim in search of their friends, but in this province of Tamriel, an ancient and powerful force has been unearthed that could spell the end of Tamriel. With the help of Lily they must keep this power out of the hands of the Thalmor agent Ancano, who no doubt has some dark and mysterious purpose planned for this artifact.
1. Chapter 1: Snowscape of Winterhold

It's been so long since I last published anything here in, but I still get asked about my previous fanfics and whether or not I will be finishing any of them, so I decided to do a bit of a foreword on this chapter before I jump into the adventure.

For my previous works "To Hell With The Handsome Ones" and "The Demon Boy" I can only say there is nothing certain about their future, and I say this because I have only recently regained my confidence and picked back up on writing again. Everything I wrote back in the years those works were uploaded has been greatly forgotten and/or lost. Maybe in a future I will pick them up and remake them at last, or maybe I'll keep them forgotten and continue to move on with other works. Nothing has been decided in the end, and I apologize for that.

As for this adventure, after seven years playing Skyrim and Oblivion, the titles have made me fall in love with the Elder Scrolls series, and after the release of Kingdom Hearts 3, I wanted to do a crossover between the two series I have loved since I first got my hands on them. This particular tale will follow the story of one of my Skyrim characters, Lily, as she meets Riku and King Mickey. The Mage of Winterhold will follow The College of Winterhold questline with as much fidelity as I can while bringing elements and characters from the Kingdom hearts series.

In the end, this is just for fun, and if all goes well with this story, I will move on to cover other questlines such as The Companions Questline (which is spoken of at one point of this chapter), the Thieves Guild Questline and finally the Main Questline (the one with Alduin and the Last Dragonborn). I hope this fanfic, in a way, also allows those who have not had a chance to play Skyrim (which I am sure might be few) to see what the game is about and vice versa for those that have not played Kingdom Hearts but follow the Elder Scrolls series.

Thank you in advanced for reading my story and remember a review will be greatly appreciated at the end, even if it's just to day "cool story bruh". Now without further words from this writer I give to you the first chapter of "The Mage of Winterhold".

* * *

**Faction Data: The College of Winterhold**

Founded by Archmagus Shalidor, the College of Winterhold is the only place in all of Skyrim devoted to the practice of all five schools of Magicka: Destruction, Conjuration, Restoration, Illusion and Alteration. Inhabited entirely by mages that come from all over Tamriel, it is also the only faction that practices the art of Necromancy freely. Instructors of each magical discipline call the College their home and are always eager to pass on their knowledge to willing students and sell various artifacts of magical properties.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Snowscape of Winterhold**

"Gosh. It sure is cold here!" Mickey shuddered as he drew his hood over his head and pulled his jacket closer to his body.

"Agreed," Riku nodded as the cold wind of Skyrim's arctic tundra buffeted him. He drew his hood over his head as well, and rubbed his hands together in a vain attempt to create some warmth. But before he could make enough friction, the cold wind cooled out whatever warmth he created.

Riku wasn't used to the low temperatures that befell him when he entered this new world. He had grown up in a warm and sunny island. The concept of snow was foreign. It was one of many things he never experienced while growing up; thanks to the warm tropical climate of Destiny Islands. Yet this was something he had longed to see for a long time. He'd seldom seen snow falling. The worlds he had visited so far had not been in the winter season when he passed them. His closest interaction to snow had been in the Land of Dragons. Now he was in Skyrim, and he found it made both the young Keyblade Bearer and the King miserable. He was regretting ever wanting to see snow.

Skyrim seemed to be a world of rolling white slopes of snow that surrounded them in every direction. There was nothing to break the monotony, except for the occasional black blotch of a dry bush or patch of dirt or rocks. The skies above were cloudy and gray, threatening to let loose a storm of great proportions soon. That worried the pair more than anything. If they got caught in the middle of said storm in the middle of nowhere it would be bad for them. There was nowhere they could take refuge in, not even a cave seemed to be in sight.

It was ridiculous how his own clothes could not protect him from the harsh cold. Not even the enchantments laid upon them by Master Yen Sid and the Good Fairies helped him. It was as if he was standing bare naked to the elements. The cutting winds going right through the fabric as if it wasn't there. It had only taken him a minute of standing in the cold to actually feel it seeping into his bones and muscles. He feared standing in the open for long would freeze them both to death—before the approaching storm even began.

"We need to find a way out of this cold," Riku said. He looked around, trying to find a road that would hopefully lead them to shelter or a warm place. To his dismay, there were no signs to tell him which way to go, or a road that he could see. Everything was snow, rocks and dry bushes that had long ago burned in the savage cold winds.

"I said get back!" a young woman's voice cried from nearby. "I'm warning you! I don't want to hurt you!" the voice said again.

"Sounds like someone's in trouble," Riku said before breaking into a run towards the source of the voice. "Hey!" he called out into the open. "Is anyone out there? Are you ok?!"

"Please, somebody help me!" the woman called back; her voice full of relief that she was not alone in the cold wilderness. "Would you stop it! I don't know what you're talking about." She was not alone.

Riku and the King found the source of the voice not far from where they had dropped. She stood on a stone road holding up a form of ward in front of her, blocking Shadows on one side. Meanwhile she kept her gaze turned back to more Shadows creeping behind her. She tried to keep them at bay as they slowly crept towards her from both directions. She was surrounded and had nowhere to run to, any exit she could have had was blocked by the blasted dark creatures. Not far from where she stood, was a familiar helmeted figure. So he was the one she was shouting at before.

His jaw clenched.

"Vanitas!" Riku cried as he summoned his keyblade. "Leave her alone!"

There was no reaction Riku could see from The Masked Boy—his face hidden under his helmet. Vanitas only turned his head to see the new arrivals. Then he was swallowed by a corridor of darkness, leaving his victim behind at the mercy of the Heartless.

"Stay away!" the woman warned again as she let a small fireball fly from her free hand towards the Heartless. She missed them, from what Riku could tell it was intentional. She was too close to actually fail that shot. It was as if she was afraid to actually hurt the small pests. That would not help her; the Heartless wouldn't care about a little fireball meant to scare them away.

"Hey!" Riku cried, summoning his keyblade and racing towards the group. "How about you try me instead?!" he added as jumped and landed between the Heartless and the young woman.

The Shadows turned their attention towards him. They wriggled their antennas before lunging at him without a second thought. He figured, compared to the young woman, he would be a more attractive target. That fact would give her the opportunity to escape while they attacked him.

"Hurry! Run away as fast as you can!" He said as the Heartless broke their formation and attacked him. He swatted the annoying little pests away with practiced ease.

The young woman didn't need to be told twice. She bolted past him and away from the Heartless just as King Mickey arrived to help.

"Go with her Mickey. I can handle these nuisances."

Of course, Mickey didn't object to his decision. Shadows weren't as frightening or dangerous as other Heartlesses they had faced in the past. Riku had already fought swarms of them on his own before too. Taking care of a small band of them was not a big deal or actual threat. He would have them dispatched quickly without any help. He'd been in tougher situations after all.

Much to his annoyance, some of the Heartless ran past him, towards the King and the woman that had bolted. King Mickey saw this, and turned, aiming his keyblade and letting loose a volley of fire bolts from its tip. The fireballs all met their targets, burning away the nuisances. Whatever Heartless survived the fiery barrage met their end with Riku's own Keyblade.

"Phew...thanks for the help!" said the young woman as she approached them carefully. After her encounter with the Heartless, Riku couldn't blame her for being cautions. She carefully studied them, making sure she could trust them. "I-i thought those things would be the death of me," she added, a bit skittish as she rubbed her hands. "T-they weren't scared of anything I threw at them, and I tried everything! Gods above. I can't thank you enough!"

She was surprisingly small—not even as tall as Kairi and that was saying something. Riku's childhood friend at least reached his nose. This woman didn't even reach his shoulders. Under her heavy fur cloak she looked like she was traveling with a tent over her.

Her hair was auburn in color with wild long curls that reminded him a bit too much of Princess Merida. Though the DunBroch Princesses's hair was way wilder and redder than this woman's. The most peculiar thing about her, was the color of her eyes—a blue iris on her right, the other green. Definitely not something he saw every day.

"My name is Lillium Laurus...or Lily if you want, it's less complicated," she chuckled and shrugged. "I'm a mage from the College of Winterhold," she introduced herself. "I hope that's ok with you. I'm aware that a lot of the locals aren't too fond of magic...or of mages like me."

"Y-yeah," Riku shuddered as a gust of cold air hit him. "No need to worry. I have no problem with mages." He extended his hand to shake hers. "I'm Riku...and this is King Mickey."

"A pleasure to meet you Riku," she said with a small smile. "And it's an honor to meet you, your Highness," she gave a small curtsy towards the Mickey.

The poor mouse was shuddering harder than before, if that was even possible. Still he regarded her greeting with the same cutesy, taking a small bow in return.

"Oh dear," the mage seemed to study them and she frowned. "Those clothes won't do at all in this part of the province. Don't you have some furs you can use?"

"W-we're actually kind of new here," the King said. "O-obviously pretty unprepared for this place."

"You're lucky to have made it this far up north without freezing to death." She began undoing the knot of her fur cloak. "We should get you to the town and get you something warm for your bellies. I'm sure you can buy some furs from Birna's Oddments once we get to the city."

"S-sounds better than stumbling in the snow, that's for sure," Riku agreed.

"Good. Then, here," she said as she took off her fur cloak and handed it to Mickey. "I'm more used to the temperature here already, and I'm pretty warm under my robes as it is. You can use it, Your Majesty."

"Gawrsh. There's no need for that," the King said. "R-riku...you should take them. You look like you need them more than I do."

Lily looked at him in waiting before Riku nodded his head and took the furs. The cloak felt soft and it was still pleasantly warm from Lily's own body heat. As an added bonus, it blocked the punishing cold winds.

Mickey, who had his own fur. Dealt with the cold as best as he could. He wrapped his arms and thin tail around his body and rubbed his arms with his gloved hands. Then Lily shuddered and huffed, her breath coming out in a cloud of vapor. It amazed Riku how easy the cold seeped into someone's body.

"Come on then. Winterhold is not far from here and I can only tolerate this for a while. If we stay gawking at each other night will catch us, and so will the coming storm. The cold and beasts of Skyrim will show no kindness to anyone caught in the dark."

Riku and the King followed the mage in silence down the stone paved road and towards the City of Winterhold. In the back of his mind, Riku decided he would give this new world an opportunity, as he searched for Kairi. So far, however, he hated it.

* * *

Riku soon discovered, there was no warmth whatsoever in Winterhold Hold. Unless he got into a building with a burning hearth, there no way he could get warm. And he hated it.

Not to mention, during his journey towards the "city", he had created a mental image of an actual bustling city. From Lily's description, he imagined streets packed with people and mages. Every person in warm winter cloaks, arms packed with parchments, books and scrolls. The Winterhold her arrived to, was nothing like what he had expected, it was in fact, the total opposite. The "city" wasn't even the shadow of a village.

The only road left in the small settlement was the main road, which ran from one end of the city to a set of stairs and an arch. It was lined with broken down, abandoned and decrepit wooden structures. Houses whose roofs had collapsed long ago under the weight of the accumulated snow. Snowberry bushes grew wild within the abandoned homes and the sides of the road. One or two rickety buildings had managed to survive at least—the Jarl's Longhouse, a few inhabited houses. The Inn seemed welcoming enough to anyone that passed by as well. Though with a name like "The Frozen Hearth" Riku hoped he didn't have to sleep on a block of ice. Beyond the Inn, Riku noticed that the land gave way to a decent that surrounded what remained of the town.

"Not what you expected?" Lily asked as soon as she saw the horror on his face. He nodded without a word. His eyes were still taking in the level of poverty, destruction and misery the town was currently in.

The guards themselves looked demoralized, and with reason. What was there to guard? The buildings that remained could be counted with the digits of a single hand. There was little left to protect and the biting cold was enough to give them the final blow to their morale. As he passed them, Riku saw them shiver under their fur armors, wishing for a warm fire to comfort them.

"Don't worry, I was just as surprised when I first arrived," Lily admitted. "What with the mages all being here and coming from all over to study magic and such. You'd think the town would have more movement and life to it, but all that's left is what you see."

"What happened here?" Mickey asked, almost with caution, not wanting his obliviousness to come off as rude.

"Well...no one knows for sure," Lily began to explain. "It was almost a century ago. According to Arch-Mage Aren, the Sea of Ghosts became violent and beat against the cliffs that held up the city for days. The terrain gave into the furious waves and rainstorm and then nearly all the city was swallowed up by the sea. Then you have others that claim the Great Collapse came as part of the aftermath of the eruption of the Red Mountain." She shrugged. "What can be agreed on is that the chaos was so great Winterhold will probably never recover from ti. What you see around, is all that's left from the incident."

"And the College?" Riku wondered.

Lily pointed at the far end of the road. An archway stood all on its own at the edge of the precipice. However, beyond the stairs leading up to it, Riku couldn't exactly see anything else.

"The College is just across the archway—past the bridge," Lily explained. "The road to it is perilous, and not at all enjoyable, but necessary to reach the College."

"Alright...so we're headed there then," Riku said, determined to see the College.

To his surprise, Lily stopped him before he could keep going.

"Don't rush yourself. Only students can enter. If you want to get admitted, you need to prove yourself valuable to the College first," Lily explained. "I'm headed to the Frozen Hearth for food and something warm to drink before heading to the College. Since you both look like you could both use some food as well, how about I treat you as thanks for saving me earlier? Afterwards we can talk about getting you into the College, if you're still interested then."

Riku and Mickey both exchanged a quick glance.

"Alright," the King consented. "Sounds better than standing out in the cold anyways."

* * *

Thankfully, the Frozen Hearth was not an igloo or an actual frozen hearth.

A roaring pyre burned at the center of the wooden structure, and it filled the place with a welcoming warmth. Few patrons—or the few that still lived in Winterhold─had gathered there that evening to eat and drink. They chatted in hushed tones among themselves, glancing once in a while at their table as if they were afraid of them.

Once or twice he caught a few staring at Lily. The mage would either ignore them or was unaware she was being stared at. This he found odd, as she didn't seem like the type of person who would irritate others. As far as he could tell. Regardless, she seemed oblivious to it all. She was too busy with her meal to care. She picked at her vegetable soup and nibble on a chicken dumpling. Riku had a slice of roasted venison and buttered bread, the King settled with the vegetable soup as well. For each she had gotten a slice of apple pie. Lily's drink remained untouched for a while, and when she finished she stared at it as if debating what to do with it.

The food was hot and savory much to Riku's delight, that he could hardly stop himself from overeating. The buttered bread melted in his mouth, the hot venison warmed his belly and bones, and his slice of apple pie and a cup of milk got him all nice and full. When he finished his body felt sluggish and tired. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten food so good, so he figured it had been quite a while.

Winterhold could have been empty and cold, but the food was good, so there was a redeeming quality to the land. And at least some of the locals seemed welcoming enough of them.

"If I may ask. Why have you two come so far up north? There's nothing up here other than the College," she suddenly wondered. "You don't look like aspiring arch-mages." The question caught him off guard. He hadn't given much thought to an explanation for being out in the cold as they had been. Even if the answer was a simple one.

"We're looking for some friends of ours that arrived to Skyrim before us," the King explained first. "We think they might be in trouble."

"Oh dear," the young woman said, putting down her spoon and looking at him with concern in her features. "Is there anything I can do to help you?" she asked.

"Maybe. Do you know anyone by the name of Kairi, or Sora; or maybe even Lea?" King Mickey continued.

"Oh yes! I know of Kairi!" she chirped and Riku was, yet again. caught off guard. "Red headed girl with blue eyes. A pink dress and cheery disposition?" Riku's body almost jolted to attention as soon as the description was given.

"You know Kairi? How?" he wondered.

"Well...I only crossed paths with her a few times at Whiterun," Lily explained. "Last I saw her...it was actually almost a few weeks ago."

"Do you know if she's still in Skyrim?" Riku asked.

Lily only shrugged. "Again. The last time I saw her was a week ago. She was with the Companions in Jorrvaskr. If she's at Whiterun or if she left to one of the other holds or even to another province of Tamriel, I cannot tell you. You would have to go to Whiterun and see for yourself if she is still there. I could also write a letter to the Harbinger inquiring about her. I would have to wait for a courier to get up here and for the letter to arrive to her. That of course would take some time."

"Was she at least safe?" Riku asked.

"Safe?" Lily chuckled. "I'd hate to see the poor bandit that stood in that girl's way. She's as fierce as a bear with that Keyblade weapon of her's. She helped the Companions recover the shards of Wuuthrad and helped saved my life as well. The Harbinger would have inducted her to The Circle had she not declined the offer. Something about still having to find her friends," shrugged again. "I'm guessing she meant you."

"More than likely," Riku said halfheartedly. He had hoped to find Kairi in Skyrim, but now it seemed they had made land too far away from her. He would have to travel to Whiterun and find her, wherever that was, and hope she was still there.

"Hey…" she nudged him with her elbow. "She was fine last I saw her. If that brings at least a bit of peace of mind to you. I told you, she knows how to fight for herself and is one of the bravest souls I've seen so far in this province."

"I know...but I... grew up with her. I've known her since we were kids," Riku explained. "I need to find her and see for myself if she's ok."

"Well...that's understandable. But you obviously look like you're ill prepared to be traveling around Skyrim," Lily reminded them. "You should stick around for a while. Get provisions and supplies to travel south to Whiterun city. The walk from here to Whiterun Hold is easily around a fortnight. You should get ready for a long and dangerous journey."

Riku nodded. "Right. I'm sure we can handle that."

"Good. If your intention is to go to Whiterun stick to the main road and don't leave it until you find the next road sign. The roads of Skyrim are well labeled at least." The mage stood up, finished the last bit of her milk and wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her robes. "As promised, food and drinks were on me. Now, I must get to the College, so this is where I get up and say my goodbyes."

"Right," Riku nodded. 'Thanks for this Lily...and for telling me about Kairi. Any chance we could...you know, join you at the College when we're done? I just want to make sure that Kairi is safe."

"Hm... I could speak to Faralda or Mirabelle and see what they come up with," Lily said. "What School of Magica are you mostly versed in?"

"Uh?" Riku and the King exchanged confused glances.

"Well...I've managed to be good at casting "-zeta" magic," the King explained.

Lily pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "Ok...is that, some form of Elemental magic? Or part of the School of Destruction?"

"Think of it more as Elemental," Riku confirmed. "We just come from very far away and the spells we know, might be different from the ones you practice."

"Hm... there's no debating with that logic," the mage shrugged. "Alright, at least you have that in your favor, so I'll see what I can do."

The mage smiled at him and went to the bar, to pay off the food and drinks they had each ordered.

"You know. I think we should stick around," Mickey said once Lily was out of earshot.

"What?" Riku blinked twice before looking at him. "Why? Kairi's at Whiterun and she's the one we're looking for!"

"I know...but remember when we were out in the wasteland? Vanitas seemed interested on Lily, otherwise why bother to surround her as he did? Whatever the reason, it must be of importance to us as well," the King pointed out.

Riku sighed and looked over at the counter, were Lily stood chatting with the innkeeper. The young woman did seem to have a strong light about her. She'd so far seemed to be a very kind soul interested in helping others. The young Keyblade bearer sighed in defeat.

"Alright...so you want to stick around and see why Vanitas is so interested in this girl?"

"Yeah," King Mickey nodded. "I mean…. why would he target a mage all the way up here? There must be something or someone that he and Xehanort want. Lily is currently our only clue as to what that might be."

It made sense. And the way Lily's light shone. He could only imagine she was the one they were after.

"Alright…" Riku relented. "But if we get the chance, we are going to Whiterun to find Kairi."

"Deal." The King nodded.

* * *

"Lily!" Riku called after the mage just as she reached the stone road outside of the inn. She was back in her fur cloak and that left him suffering once again as soon as he stepped out.

She looked back at them and smiled. "Need something?" She wondered.

"Sort of…" Riku said trying to come up with a sensible excuse to have her let them tag along. "You think we could go to the College with you now? We're both dying to see it and well...we don't exactly have anywhere to stay at the moment."

Lily pursed her lips.

"Well…" she looked up at the sky. The sun was not visible, but the little light that filtered through the clouds seem to assure her they still had time before night settled. "I guess there is some time for you guys to speak with Mirabelle. Are you sure this is what you want though? No offence, but you honestly don't look like someone that would practice magic."

"We're sure," the King said. "I'm a magic student myself under the tutelage of Master Yen Sid and so is Riku. We would like to see Winterhold and study here for a while. Of that is ok."

Lily stared at him for a moment and took a sharp breath.

"Ok. I'll take you to see Mirabelle then," she said. "But be ready; the path to the College is dangerous."

* * *

When Lily said "the road to the College was dangerous", Riku hadn't yet again underestimated her words. The path, was a bridge dangling several meters above a precipice and in a severe state of disrepair. There were entire areas where the railing and part of the bridge itself had collapsed to Oblivion. This gave them a clear view of the fall they would take to the unseen floor below should they give a wrong step. The drop was so large, he could hardly see the black beach below. The sight made even Mickey nervous and the winds scared Riku as they threatened to push him to his death.

Meanwhile, Lily walked casually in front of them. She glanced back at them every once in a while and paused when she realized they had fallen behind due to their fear.

"Don't worry, I've crossed this bridge many times," Lily assured them. "If you keep looking down, you'll only paralyze yourself."

"I-i know…" Riku said, looking at her and following her advice. "I've jumped from high places but this is just...ridiculous. I can hardly see the bottom through all the mist and snow!"

Lily sighed and went back, slipping her arm around his and helping him.

"Just, walk. Take it easy and don't let fear rule you," she assured him. "When you let fear overtake you, you make mistakes and those mistakes can leave you vulnerable."

It was a very basic rule he'd followed since he had first begun to practice swordsmanship. One he had taken to heart after his return from the Darkness. To hear Lily remind him came as a sort of comfort.

"Right," he said and continued to follow her.

"Is this the only way to the College?" King Mickey wondered.

"Unfortunately," Lily confirmed. "But don't worry. If I got used to it, so can you."

So they managed to cross after the longest five minutes of their lives passed. Riku and the King seemed to remember how to breathe once they reached the other side. They collapsed without breath at the end of the bridge. Lily only watched them in mild amusement as they gathered their wits; covering her mouth and stifling a giggle.

Once inside the College of Winterhold, Riku saw the place was like an entire new world within Skyrim.

The College itself was built like a fortress. Tall walls of stone, towered several meters over them. At the entrance there was a large statue with open arms. It stood silently, as if welcoming anyone that managed the crossing to the College. In front of it, a well of ethereal magic glowed with energy. It lit the courtyard but produced no warmth whatsoever.

Riku stared at the statue as they passed. Then Lily took a sharp turn to the left as soon as they entered the courtyard. The small woman opened a door for them and Riku and the King went in without much protest.

Inside it was warm and cozy. Various dormitories were visible right from the entrance, several of them were occupied. Mages working on their projects and sorting through their belongings. A study group of sorts gathered around a rune, Riku didn't know what they were doing, but they ignored him as he passed.

"Mirabelle should be around here," Lily told them as she looked into the different rooms. . Then she guided them up a flight of stairs and led them to a second floor. There were more rooms on that floor, only some of these held rooms with little to no furniture. Those with beds were empty.

In one of the rooms sat a lone woman at a table, munching on some bread and going through a scroll as she did so. It was this woman that Lily approached.

"Mirabelle! I'm back from the excavation at Saarthal," the younger mage announce. The older woman looked back at her, startled, from where she sat. "I need to speak to the Arch-Mage but before that I have two erm...gentlemen...that want to join the College with me. These are Riku and..."

"Mickey!" the King interjected before Lily could mention his title. "Just call me Mickey." The mouse winked at the mage who nodded in understanding. No one else needed to know he was a king.

The woman—Mirabelle—was older than Lily and slightly taller than the younger mage. Her hair was short and well kept, brown in color, and she had a stern gaze that demanded respect. She switched her gaze from the mage in front of her and looked at the intruding duo.

"Interesting," she said as she took a particular interest in Mickey, staring at the King for a while. "Alright…" she said as she set down the load of bread in her hand and slapped the crumbs off her hands. "Go on ahead and update the Arch-Mage with whatever findings Tolfdir has sent you with. I'll review the applicants and make my decision while you do so," she told Lily.

"At once," Lily said before turning and smiling at Riku. "Good luck."

And with that Lily was gone. That left the King and Riku with Mirabelle who turned on her seat to face the pair. She inspected them for a moment, as if thinking about what to do with them. Riku and Mickey only stood in silence, waiting for her verdict.

"Alright gentlemen," the woman finally said, her voice stern and strong. "I'm Mirabelle Ervine, the Master Wizard here at the College. I run the day-to-day operations. If there are any questions you would like to ask, you can come to me or any of our instructors. They will always be eager to help you and share their knowledge," she stood up. "Before we can accept you as a student here at the College, I will request that you provide a sample of your abilities. That way I may direct you to the proper instructors that will be guiding you during your time here at the College."

"Erm...sure…" Riku shrugged.

"Good," Mirabelle stood up and beckoned for them to follow. She guided them back outside the College, to where the statue stood. "Give me a demonstration of a School you are particularly good at."

Riku and Mickey exchanged glances. They took a moment to figure out which spell would be best for the situation and who would perform first. In the end Mickey took the first performance. He cast a spell of Thundaga that landed by the foot of the statue, and left a scorch mark on the floor.

Riku performed next. His choice was a simple Reflaga spell. I might have lasted for a mere second, but Mirabelle seemed to find that interesting. he could tell, because she looked at him with a bit of fascination in her features.

"Hmm. Your use of the thunder spell is something even I have not seen here at the College Mickey. And your use of a ward, Riku, is quite unorthodox, but effective." She looked at Mickey. "I would advise you to approach Faralda. She can instruct you in the performance of more advanced Destruction spells." Mickey nodded in understanding. "As for you," she looked at Riku. "Collette might be a bit difficult to work with but she is the best at the School of Restoration. For the development of your skills I can also suggest you attempt to pick up on other Schools of Magic."

"So... does this mean we're in?" Riku wondered.

"Indeed," Mirabelle nodded. "You have shown you have aptitude for the magickal arts. Therefore, the doors of the College and its resources are at your disposal. Welcome to the College of Winterhold."

* * *

Race Data: Imperials

Also known as Cyrodillics, Imperials hail from the Imperial Province of Cyrodill. Known to be masterful traders and wealthy merchants, members of their race are usually some of the more well educated, wealthy and well-spoken people of Tamriel. The Cyrodillics are split into two ethnic groups, the Colovians and the Nebenese.

* * *

Edit 11/13/2019: As a short notice, this chapter has been revised and edited from the original content that was posted. Just know the edit is enough to cause an impact in the outcome of the story as a whole, and feel to reread it at your own discretion.


	2. Chapter 2: Looks Peaceful Enough

**Race Data: High Elves**

Also known as the Altmer. They are the tallest of the Mer's and are easily distinguished by their golden hued skin. Originally hailing from Alinor (Summerset Isles), they are the most magically inclined race in all of Tamriel, even surpassing the Bretons in skills. They consider themselves to be perfect and superior to all other races.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Looks Peaceful Enough**

When Riku woke up the next day, he decided he did not want to get out of bed. The warmth underneath furs and wool sheets, was the most comforting sensation he had felt in a long time. He didn't want to face the cold air outside his warm cocoon, so he spent the majority of his morning lazily lying in bed. Until it happened.

A series of noise resembling shattering glass made him jump on his bed and sit up, half expecting an attack. Startled aquamarine eyes scanned his surroundings searching for the source of the noise. Then source he found just outside his quarters. There stood a tall man with fair golden skin and blond hair, across from him a familiar redheaded woman. She was holding up a spell, one that oddly resembled reflaga, though she held it up like a shield and it remained. He remembered it from when he found her out in the frozen wasteland, surrounded by the Heartless.

"Alright...that was a simple ice spike I just cast," the man said, his voice nasal and deep. "Keep holding the ward up while I prepare for the next one," he instructed. He concentrated magicka on his hands and the skin on them frosted over. Then he fired his spell towards Lily.

An ice spear shot out of the man's hands. It was easily two times the size of the man's arms, and it hurtled at blinding speed towards Lily. Riku let out a small gasp; the thing could easily skewer Lily into a wall. But she didn't move, she stood there holding up her wall of energy─or ward, as the man had called it. When the spear collided against Lily's spell, shards of ice flew in every direction. The Imperial mage remained in her spot, untroubled by the impact. Only the ward seemed to flicker until it was gone.

"Excellent! You've got it down," the male clapped as she approached her.

"I actually felt the impact on my arm," she commented, rubbing her elbow as if it were sore. "And the ward didn't last as long as I hoped afterwards. That drained a lot of magicka at once."

"Natural. That was an Expert leveled spell I just cast," the man said as he walked towards her. "You at least managed to keep the ward up. That is the important part. Now you just need to build up your reserves a bit more." the man said. "From what Orthorn offered me before he left; the spells we should expect in that keep should be no weaker than what I just cast. These are Altmer after all...you know how prideful we can be regarding our magical prowess."

Lily snorted. "Of course. Never settling for anything below expert leveled spells. But are you sure you want to come to this though? This is Orthon we're talking about."

The man snorted. "I should be the one asking you that," he said. "Orthon made his choice, and he made clear where his loyalties lie. My concern is for you. You're a healer. Your practice in the School of Destruction is scarce! Are you ready for this?"

Lily bit her bottom lip and looked down at the floor meekly. Then she shook her head. The man sighed. "I hope I don't have to drag your body out of this," he said. "You know I could contact Tarelaith, perhaps eve Aurora or Vilkas would b–"

"I'd rather keep the Companions out of this for now," she cut him off. "Especially Vilkas. And we don't have time to wait for Tarelaith to come up here, she's too busy with the war." She sighed and shook her head. "We're on our own with this." The man gave a heavy sigh, one even Riku could hear from where he sat.

The small mage walked toward her room and past the other mage. It seemed her own quarters were in the same direction as Riku's, because she seemed to advance towards his at first. She noticed him sitting up and stopped, a look of surprise in her features.

"Oh. I was wondering what happened to you," she said as a smile stretched onto her lips. "Glad to see you were allowed to join us."

Riku nodded, the memory of Mirabelle's test still fresh in his mind. It had been fairly easy to join. He had expected to jump through a ring of fire or perform some sort of complicated ritual. But it seemed the only thing he needed to show to join the College was prove he could perform a few spells.

"Is he the lad you were speaking to me of earlier?" the man said as he curiously approached.

Now that the man's back was no longer towards him, Riku realized that what he was seeing was not a man at all, but rather an elf. The male had pointed ears that peeked from under his blond hair and from their lobes hung earrings of gold. His eyes were lime-green in color, with yellowed sclera. Had he been standing still, he would have given the impression that he was a statue of gold. Over his left eye three lines of paint adorned his face─one over his forehead and the other two seemed to emerge from his bottom eyelid down to his cheek.

"Aye," Lily confirmed with a nod. "I do recall your name was Riku right?"

"Yup. That would be me," Riku nodded.

"Thank you for saving Lily from those creatures," the elf said. It took a moment for Riku to realize what he was talking about. Lily would have already discussed what happened the previous day with him. "She told me you found her on her way back to the town and that you protected from those black creatures. You have my gratitude for getting her here safe." He pursed his lips for a moment. "I hope our practice didn't wake you up."

Riku chuckled. He'd been awake when the noise had happened, but he'd been to sluggish and lazy to bother slipping out of bed. He shook his head and gave him a reassuring smile.

"That's good to know," the elf said, relief seeping into his voice. "I'm Xarldas, a fellow student here at College."

"Nice to meet you," the silver haired boy said as he slipped out of bed and stepped onto the cold stone floor. When the shock of cold crept of his feet from the ground he almost jumped back into the bed. Lily giggled at his reaction.

"Allow us to teach you a little trick," Xarldas chuckled as he rose one of his hands and aimed it at the floor.

Flames sprayed out of his hands like a hose and burned the floor for a few seconds. Then Lily followed with a new spell; icy mist put out the flames on the ground. He stared at them in slight horror. The stone floor wasn't scorched but the sight of the flames had been reason enough to alarm him.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine when you put your feet on the ground," Xarldas assured him.

Riku decided to trust them, after all, he doubted there was any reason for the pair to want to harm him. When his bare feet touched the floor, he found the stone was not chilling cold or scorching hot. It was warm and pleasant to stand on.

"Thank you," he said with appreciation.

"Don't worry. Most here at the College are not Nords,. We've all had to adjust to live with the cold of Skyrim," Lily explained. "After six years of living here, one tends to pick up on a lot of bad habits and tricks. Especially when you have Xarldas as a teacher to teach you all the bad things."

"Oh yes. Blame it on the Altmer," Xarldas rolled his eyes. "Not like if you don't fall asleep like a beggar at every corner. How many times have you been mistaken for one already?"

"Only once!" Lily mumbled in annoyance.

Xarldas looked satisfied at her reply.

"Seriously?" Riku looked at the woman amused. She only looked away, her cheeks burning red with shame.

"Don't blame her for being studious," Xarldas chuckled. "With the short life spans you men have, I understand why she doesn't want to sleep when she is in the middle of research."

"Moving past that," Lily grumbled. "I hope your first day at the College was pleasant Riku. We would like to continue to chat but we have matters to tend to...such as the recovery of a few books?" She raised her eyebrows at Xarldas as if queuing him that it was time to leave.

"Have you even packed?" Xarldas wondered. "Because I am pretty much done preparing for the journey."

Lily looked at him annoyed and mumbled something under her breath as she walked away. Xarldas only chuckled as he watched her disappear into her own quarters.

"You're leaving on a trip?" The silver haired young man inquired.

Xarldas nodded.

"Well, it's not a pleasurable one. Yesterday, our excavation team at Saarthal found something deep within the ruins. Lily was sent to report this to the Arch-mage and he assigned her to research the subject," the elf explained. "He had her lookup a book called Night of Tears, but when we went to the library, it turns out the book had been stolen. The thief was a former student here at the College, and since it's the only volume that exists, we're off to try and recover it."

"Are you sure you should be going out? The Heartless are still out there," Riku warned.

"Heartless? Is that what those black creatures are called?' the elf inquired. Riku nodded. "Well, we're aware of their presence. I have no problems with them, but Lily is too nice for own good. She can't bring herself to kill even a rabbit for food. But something must be done. Besides, that Mickey fella has already offered to help us on our journey."

"He what?" Riku blinked.

"Well, he overheard us and offered to help. Said that like you, he had experience dealing with those Heartless," Xarldas shrugged. "I'm sure with two experienced mages and him we will be fine."

"Erm…." Riku gawked at the elf for a moment. "Make that four then. If Mickey's going, I'm going too!"

Xarldas blinked a few times. "Alright. I guess the more we have the better."

* * *

Their journey across the frozen wasteland of Winterhold Hold began in broad daylight. Even with the sun out and shining, the road out of the settlement was a chilling one. At least this time, Riku and Mickey were better prepared. Xarldas had spared Riku a cloak of soft, warm fur, Lily shared one of her own with Mickey. That, along with the wool robes they were given when they were admitted as students, helped keep them warm. The winds no longer cut into his bones. The clothing he had now was, without a doubt, made to withstand the coldness of Skyrim.

This time, however, as they walked down the road, Riku learned the cold of Skyrim, was just one of many concerns. The creatures that prowled the land, were another danger altogether.

Bears and wolves prowled the edges of the roads, studying them, for an opportune moment to attack. At one time Riku swore one of the white wolves they came across bared its fangs at him as a challenge. He was almost tempted to summon his Keyblade and try to scare the beast off. Then he noticed the rest of its pack hiding a few feet away behind a snow dune. He could handle one wolf; a whole pack was another matter altogether, so he refrained himself.

Lily and Xarldas on the other hand, seemed undisturbed by the whole spectacle. They walked and chattered, laughing at an occasional joke, as if they didn't care if they were being stalked. That made Riku wonder, how many times they had made this journey to feel so comfortable under threat.

"So…," Xarldas suddenly decided to look back at the King and Riku to chat. The elf cleared his throat, before continuing. "How long have you guys been here at Winterhold?"

Lily looked back at Riku, interest peeking in her two-toned eyes as she waited for their reply.

"Not long," it was the King who answered. "We're completely new to the land."

"That's obvious," Lily giggled. "I found you both standing in the middle of nowhere without proper clothing. Freezing to death!"

"Didn't they rescue you first though?" Xarldas wondered. Apparently, he was not about to give her the satisfaction of claiming she rescued Riku and Mickey.

"Well...we can say we rescued each other," she shrugged with a grin. "They saved me from that other young man and the Heartless. I save them by getting them out of the cold. No one owes anybody that way."

"What about you Lily?" Riku then wondered, hoping to get their interest further away from where him and the King came from. "How long have you been here?"

"Hm...?" the mage paused in thought for a moment. "I think I might have arrived to Skyrim, about six years ago," she mused. "Honestly though, I've not kept count."

"And what brought you here?" Mickey chimed in.

"I've always loved magic! What other reason?" the mage said. "I'm actually from Cyrodiil. Born and raised in the Imperial City. I could have joined the College of Whispers or even the Synod, rather than come here. But the Synod disregard conjuration and Necromancy and actually shun their practice. Then for the College of Whispers you have to jump through so many loops to join," she shook her head.

"She's refined, smart, and total sweetheart," Xarldas began to enumerate. There was an impish grin as he imitated her excitement. "She'll take in a dying skeever even if it kills her."

"Oh shut it," Lily muttered at the altmer. "I'm a healer. I've been practicing to be one since I was little. Magic runs deep in my family's blood, from my mother's side particularly. My grandmother was a Breton. So I have an aptitude for magic I enjoy using to help others. And then there's my father."

"U-oh," Riku was sure he knew what was coming.

"He's...not bad," she said, and Riku doubted even she believed her own lie. "To be fair, I understand him. His family are all merchants. I'm his only child and someone needs to handle his business when he...passes. But I am not a merchant, nor do I like having to handle the complications of managing a trading business."

"So you ran away from home and came to Winterhold?" Riku wondered.

"Does that make for a better story, or would you like to hear the truth of it?" she wondered. Riku shrugged. If things had unfolded some other way he was interested to know if she was willing to share. "I begged him for years to let me come study at Winterhold. He was never happy with that decision but it's what I wanted. The only reason I am here is because I begged so much he got tired of listening to me!"

Xarldas snorted, Riku could hardly contain his chuckle. He imagined the small mage, following a grown man through the streets of a bustling, medieval metropolis, dramatically begging as she walked after him.

"Do you plan on returning?" Mickey wondered

Lily snorted. "No! I've started a life here already! I've advanced in my studies of the School of Restoration to the point I'm close to learning Master class spells. Above all, I'm a mage and healer at heart. I don't want to trade helping people for making more gold. My family already has enough of that! I don't need anymore gold."

Xarldas snorted. "What you need is a stepping stool," he whispered just loud enough for them to hear. Lily glared at him. It amazed Riku how the young woman didn't jump on the elf. The sass between the two was something.

"What about you Xarldas?" Riku wondered.

"Kicked out for being a problem child," Lily quickly pointed out. Xarldas only snorted and laughed in response, not at all bothered by the jab.

"You could say I am the black-sheep of my family," the elf confirmed. "I left my home in Alinor and came here to study. Like Lily, to get away from the annoying relatives. My family are all supporters of the Thalmor and their anti-Talos politics. Not to mention their ideals that men are inferior to us elves...though when you look at Lily and I…"

"Don't even finish that joke, or I swear."

Xarldas snorted again. "I stand several feet above her as it is."

"I hate you sometimes, you know that?" the Imperial muttered.

* * *

The journey to their destination was not as long as he had thought. That didn't mean it was a pleasant one. Much to his relief though, the further South they went, the less snow there was. And as a consequence, it became warmer. That didn't mean they discarded all of their warm clothing. The wind was still frigid, but at least Riku could endure it without the heavy furs. His wool robes were more than enough for the climate they were in. They traveled Skyrim's roads for a few days, taking refuge in caves when snowstorms blew out of nowhere. When the weather allowed and the nights were clear, they set up fur tents and bedrolls around a campfire.

On this night Riku and the King discovered, not everything in Skyrim was unpleasant. The duo found themselves staring up at the night sky staring at a long trail of green and blue lights that danced across the firmament. It parted through the darkness in the sky to the point Riku could barely see the stars above.

Before that a small white fox had approached them and watched them with curiosity. Then it scurried off when Riku tried to approach and pet it and it took refuge behind a tree. It was too skittish to even attempt approaching him when he offered it food. At one point Lily even suggested her should follow it. The mage had been watching his antics since she had sat down to read, splayed out over her bedroll. According to her foxes could lead adventurers to treasures. Of course, he declined the suggestion. They had a task to worry about and getting lost in the forest did not sound appealing in Riku's opinion.

"When we leave the fort we can reach Nightgate Inn," Xarldas suggested after throwing a few dry branches into the roaring campfire. Then he went to sit down on his own bedroll. "There we can resupply, rest for the night, and then begin the journey back to Winterhold." The mer stoked the flames of their campfire as he spoke with the tip of his sword. Lily helped him by casting a new flames spell to strengthen the fire. Then she went back to reading the book on her lap. "By midday, we should reach the fort and have the books by noon."

Riku took notice of the elf's odd blade. It was not metal, that much he could tell. If he didn't know better, he would have though the mer's sword was made of glass with golden accents. But it was a weapon no doubt, he could tell its edges were sharp enough to slice through skin...if not bone. The the elf sheathed the blade and tucked it into his bedrool. A habit Riku had noticed since they left Winterhold.

"So...what's the plan?" Riku wondered.

"Simple," Lily stated. "First, we slather on some black war paint on our faces. Then we run to the front door, kick it down and announce "SKYRIM BELONGS TO THE NORDS!" Then we blast anything that's in our way with fire magic."

Riku didn't know what to make of such plan. But judging by the way Xarldas chortled at the suggestion, he was sure there was a running joke between the two.

"We're going to be under a lot of pressure," the smaller mage said then. That time her voice took a more serious tone to it, one that told Riku, she was not joking anymore. "Swords and shields are one thing, spells are another. I can hold up a strong ward and keep us safe and cast a few healing spells, but destruction magic has never been my forte. I can try to cast a few destruction spells and try to take down any creatures they might summon. Then someone else has to take down the mages themselves."

"I can handle the atronachs," Xarldas assured. "No doubt they must have a few conjurers in their midst. We should expect one or two deadra to appear."

Lily nodded. "Then possible knives and clubs they might have," she pointed out. When Riku quirked a silver eyebrow she explained. "Some mages don't have enough magicka to sustain a spell long enough, so they resort to weapons."

"Mickey and I can handle those," Riku assured.

"Good," Xarldas stood and stretched. "I'm an excellent conjurer, so I'll be able to help anyone who is under pressure."

"What about Orthorn?" Lily suddenly wondered, looking at Xarldas.

Riku saw the elf's expression turn sour at Lily's question. It was almost as if she had actually insulted him. Xarldas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Look, let me make one thing clear," he began to explain. "Orthorn stole the book! Orthorn is no longer my friend. Orthorn is now the enemy. Must I be more specific?" he wondered. "What must I do to get you to believe I am fine?"

Lily frowned but said nothing, shaking her head and sticking her nose back into the book in her hands. Xarldas sighed in frustration, stood up and walked off into the dark forest around them. Riku and Mickey exchanged worried glances. The King rose from his own bedroll and raced after the elf. They could not risk losing sight of him in the darkness, not when the heartless were still a threat that could emerge at any moment.

Lily huffed and watched Xarldas go, deciding not to go after him.

"What was that about?" Riku wondered. By now, he suspected something was up with this Orthorn person. He remembered overhearing Lily's conversation with Xarldas back at the College. The elf had dismissed her concern but now Riku suspected there was more going on. This wasn't a simple quest to recover a book, at least not for Xarldas. If Mickey and him were going to help them, he figured he needed to know who Orthorn was first.

Lily looked at him and pursed her lips.

"I'm worried for Xarldas. He says he's fine, but I know him. He's taking this personal," she explained.

"He seems fine," Riku pointed out, quirking his eye brow in confusion. "This is the second time I hear the name "Orthorn". So who is he?"

Lily chuckled and shook her head. "You've known Xarldas for how long now? A few days? I have you beat by six years. And I already know how Xarldas expresses his aggression. He's not one to confront you, or demand answers. He doesn't threaten you or looks angry." She took a deep breath as she considered her next words. "Xarldas lets his rage boil. He holds it in until it explodes. And I'm worried—scared even—he's going to try something."

"Against this Orthorn fellow?" Riku inquired. Lily nodded.

"Orthorn was a fellow student at the college. Came in at the same time as Xarldas. I joined about... maybe twenty years after they met each other at the College," she continued to explain. "Orthorn became a close friend of his during that time, to the point Xarldas considered him a brother." Already Riku began to imagine what direction her story was going to take.

"Xarldas did say he had left his family back in _Alinor_." The name still sounded foreign to Riku, in part because he had no clue of where he stood in Skyrim to begin with. But by the way Lily was explaining he was beginning to suspect it was a long journey between the two provinces. Riku concluded. "I'm guessing Orthon must have done something pretty bad?."

"This is all more complicated," the Imperial sighed. "Xarldas's story is more complicated. He didn't leave as he told you. He was kicked out of his home, his own family disowned him," Lily explained. "They turned their back on him to the point Xarldas no longer has contact with them. Not even his younger sister, whom he loves so much, cares to acknowledge him. He used to write to them, often. But all his letters went unanswered."

"He must have sent them thousands by the time I arrived at the College. Then one day he gave up and stopped. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for him to understand they no longer cared about him. I mean, I write to my parent, they worry about me. But Xarldas...he has no one."

Riku remained silent for a moment, as he processed that bit of information. He couldn't fathom how a parent could disown their own child. To ignore them as if they didn't exist. Disregard letter after letter of someone who now lived apart from them, for having different beliefs. Riku wasn't the target of their contempt, but even he felt angry at them.

Lily slammed her book shut, deciding she had had enough reading. "When Orthorn got tangled with another group of students, he began to spend less time with us. Xarldas held no resentment for that. Mages often form alliances for the benefit of study and the sake of research, but he still spent time with us. Then we learned he stole some materials from the College and Xarldas confronted him for that. Orthorn disregarded what friendship he had with him. All for the sake of being accepted by these other mages. Naturally, Xarldas felt betrayed. To him, it was like losing his family all over again. He says he's fine now, but that's not what I saw a year ago. He wanted to chase down Orthorn and bring him back to Winterhold. Called him an idiot for throwing in his lot with those mages and leaving the College. I had to convince him not to come after them for his own sake. For a while, he seemed to have gotten over all that. Then I told him about what I had to do, to recover Night of Tears, and I saw it all come back in his eyes."

"And he has all that rage stored in him," now Riku could understand Lily's concern.

"I am worried about what he might do," she repeated. "Xarldas is no murderer. He has discipline he gained from his time as a Tribune in the Imperial Legion. But people can act different than what we expect when they feel betrayed."

Riku didn't need a lecture on that. He had experience on feeling betrayed. It had led him to Maleficent and allowed Ansem to take a hold of him. Betrayal brought on a whole new level of dark emotions that were ripe for Heartless to swarm on. When he'd experienced it, he felt rage, confusion and jealousy. While Xarldas's case was different from his, it didn't take away the negative emotions, Riku was certain of that. At that moment, Riku felt relief Mickey had chased after the elf. If the Heartless chose to attack, Mickey would be there to help him.

* * *

During the night, Xarldas and Mickey stumbled upon a bush of snowberries, which they picked clean and brought back for their breakfast. Mickey had already eaten some of them on their way back to the camp before going to sleep. He had loved their taste so much he had to force himself to stop to leave some for the others. Riku found they were cloying sweet so that by the time he had his sixth berry, he stopped eating them. Too sweet for his taste. Lily apparently adored them, because she ate her own and what Riku left. They washed down the sweetness with water and he settled his stomach with some toasted bread. Then Xarldas put out the small kindles that remained from their campfire and they left that spot.

The rest of their journey was a short one. Fellglow keep was a short distance from where they had camped. When they arrived, Riku found out the keep was nothing but a ruin and it was not heavily guarded. He began to wonder if there was anything in Skyrim that wasn't laid to waste.

Two mages patrolled what should have been the keep's courtyard. Behind one of them, walked a woman on fire—he had to do a double take to convince himself that what he was seeing was real.

Trailing behind one of the mages was a creature—it had to be—who's shape resembled that of a woman. It's body engulfed in flames was lithe and her movements resembled the flow of a dancer. Though her feet hovered above the ground, the grass and leaves combusted into small fires as she passed. When she drew away, the fires died out and it left behind a trail of scorched earth and the scent of burnt grass and soil.

"What is that thing?" Mickey must have been wondering the same thing. Riku had been close to asking the same question and was beat to it by the mouse.

"That is a lesser Daedra," Lily explained. "More specifically, a flame atronach."

That told Riku nothing. He was no local and had never seen an atronach before. So he pressed them for ideas on how to dispatch it.

"Ok...so, it's fire, water will put it out," he reasoned. "But how do we douse it?" he looked at the mages for ideas.

"Ice magic lad," Xarldas said. Of course that was the second most obvious thing. But Riku had expected something along the lines of Watera. He knew Sora knew how to cast that spell, Riku had no clue. He knew Mickey could cast it, but he wasn't too keen on sending the King ahead. Not when they hardly have a clue on how to engage an atronach. "As soon as you douse those flames that atronach will be one less problem. This is a weak summon. These mages out here are not as experienced as the one's we'll find inside. I'm sure."

So there were worse things waiting for them inside the fort—or what Riku figured they meant by a fort. The structure looked decrepit, the elements of Skyrim had not been kind to its aging. The stones were sunbleached and smoothed by falling rain. One of its towers had collapsed, taking down walls that would have at one point kept an invading army out. Vegetation had run rampant along its walls and surroundings, which Riku saw as an advantage. Several bushes and patches of tall grass had grown large enough to provide cover. He could hide behind them from the two mages guarding the area.

Xarldas shifted where he knelt and cast a spell upon himself. In the blink of an eye he was gone. Where the elf had once stood there was nothing, and that illusion caught Riku off guard.

"Where did he go?" the keybarer quickly asked and looked at Lily behind him. The mage snorted and held a laugh. Apparently he must have looked stupidly dumbfounded to cause that reaction from her.

"He's probably going to try and get closer to the atronach. Those are more problematic than mages," Lily said. "While he does that, I should try to sneak past the mages, so stay here and move when we tell you," she grinned.

And with that, the Imperial cast a spell. She also disappeared from before his eyes and he heard her footsteps as she sneaked off. That left Riku and the King to themselves.

"Well...I was not expecting that," the King chuckled.

"I was not expecting a lot of things," Riku muttered before looking at him. It was the first time they'd been on their own since they left the College. "This world is so different from others we've visited."

"I know," Mickey nodded. "This world is full of danger. I don't know if you've sensed them, but there are some things out there full of darkness. I've been feeling them since we got here," he paused for a moment and chose his words. Whenever Mickey did that, Riku had learned it was because the King was trying not to scare him. That only made Riku worry more. "They are big and scary but there's one in particular that feels–" he paused again, looking for the right word to describe what he was talking about. He shook his head. "I don't know what to call it." Horrible?— Riku would have suggested the word; but even Mickey could have come up with that description. So he assumed the worse.

"I haven't felt anything," Riku said.

"Maybe I'm more attuned to these sort of things." The shrugged. "But I know it's there. It's moving across the land. Sometimes it's closer, others it's further. Whatever it is, it can travel fast."

"Maybe we could ask Xarldas and Lily about it?" Riku wondered.

"Maybe. But I don't want to scare them," Mickey said. "For all we know, those shadows could be Heartless."

"I don't know if you saw them on our way down here. When there were wolves stalking us on our way out of Winterhold," Riku tried to remind him. "Lily and Xarldas looked like they were having a leisure stroll down the road. Meanwhile those beasts followed us until we were out of that wasteland. If I noticed them, I'm sure you all did."

The King nodded. "I know. But these are bigger than just a few wolves. We have to be careful with what we say around them. Remember, we are used to seeing all kinds of Heartless. Lily and Xarldas may not."

He understood the logic behind his reasoning. But it didn't mean he entirely agreed with it. He would go with it for the moment, but his concern for Xarldas and Lily was all to real. Especially after Vanitas had already shown he had an interest in one of the two.

The pair then watched in silence as the two Altmer mages continued their patrol. Unaware of the approaching danger.

Then Riku felt the air around him become hot, followed by the crackling of drying leaves and the smell of burnt grass.

"Watch out!" Mickey squeaked.

For being small, Mickey had strength. He shoved Riku's head down on the dirt and dropped on him. Then Riku felt his hair singing as a ball of fire flew above them and exploded, not a few feet past where they stood. Burned dirt rained down on them and Riku counted his blessings that he'd been spared the fireball's fury. But that had been too close. Then he saw their attacker.

The atronach had sneaked up behind them. She had made no sound whatsoever when she had surrounded them and she'd taken the initiative to attack. Riku swallowed hard. Mickey got off him to give him room to move and the duo parted from each other as another fireball raced towards them.

Way to Dawn materialized, and relief washed over him when he felt the familiar leathery hilt in his hand. At least he didn't have to fumble for his weapon, otherwise he would have had a problem.

"Water!" Mickey squeaked and water emerged from his keyblade. It raced towards the atronach. But the creature veered from its path to dodge it and went after her attacker. She let loose another fireball, one Mickey had to dodge for the sake of his ears. As soon as the fireball had cleared, Lily appeared in its path, her hands frosted with magic.

The small mage releases a spray of frost onto the atronach and the creature recoiled. It's body sizzling as Lily's frost condensed on it and became water to douse its flames. With the atronach somewhat subdued, Riku charged at it and swung his keyblade at her. He sent her sprawling onto the ground. Then Lily cast a second spell, another version of her earlier frost spell. Frost overtook the creature and its flames were put out, she didn't move after that.

Riku carefully approached the creature. Looking to make sure it was dead. Then the body began to sizzle. Riku's breath hitched as the flames intensified to the point they burned hot white. He had to look away from the sheer brightness and the heat became so great, he felt his skin burning.

"Riku...get away from it!" Lily cried.

Riku doubted he had time to get away. He braced himself for whatever would happen next, immediately fearing for the worst. Then he felt the wind being knocked out of him by sheer force and his feet left the ground. He knew he had been sent flying, but he couldn't tell why. Then all he saw was the sky, the wind knocked out of him when his back hit the ground. Then he heard an explosion not a second after that. The atronach had actually blown up and he'd almost been caught in its trap.

He choked and gasped for air as he tried to regain his breath. He tried to sit up, looking around and feeling himself for serious burn marks or wounds. To his relief there were none. He'd been spared what he was sure would have been a painful outcome.

"Riku!" Lily ran to him and kneelt beside him. She took his face in her hands and like him, inspected all over for wounds, abrasions and even scorch marks that needed to be tended. "Thank the Divines you're ok!" she sighed in relief and hugged him. "Xarldas shoved you off just in time."

Xarldas? The elf hadn't been anywhere near him.

"How did he do that?" Riku asked.

"Telekinesis. A really advanced spell of the School of Alteration," she explained. Then she proceeded to fret over him again. "Are you sure you're feeling ok? Nothing hurts?"

"I'm fine Lily. Stop worrying," he assured her as he stood up.

Mickey joined them shortly after. "Gosh Riku, that was a close one," the King told him.

"It's safe to assume you've never fought an atronach before in your life. Have you lad?" Xarldas wondered as he approached them and Riku nodded.

Behind the Altmer the two other mages that had been patrolling the area were gone. It was as if they had never been there to begin with. Xarldas looked calm, as did Lily, none of them bothered by the fact the mages were missing.

"Where did the patrol go?" he question.

Lily giggled before she began to cast a spell. The enchantment remained in her hand like a glowing red orb of swirling magic. "This is Hysteria," she explained, "A master level spell of the School of Illusion. I sent the fools running for their lives and won't be coming to bother us anytime soon," she said proudly before reabsorbing the magic. "Goes to show, I don't need the School of Destruction for anything!"

Xarldas rolled his eyes and shook his head before addressing Riku again.

"You're lucky I pulled you out in time. Next time you might not have the same fortune," Xarldas signed. Riku wasn't going to try and hide the fact that he had not seen the explosion coming. If there were more creatures in Skyrim as dangerous as the atronach, he needed to let them know so they gave him the proper warning next time. "When we get back to Winterhold, I'm going to put you against more of those. You'll have to learn to guard yourself against them; got it?"

It was not an offer, Riku was sure of that. Xarldas was going to teach him how to fight those things, and all he could do was accept, so Riku didn't even protest against that. After that close encounter, he didn't want to be caught off guard a second time either.

"Alright," Lily said as she stood and dusted her pants. Xarldas offered Riku his hand and the elf helped him stood up. "Now we have bigger things to worry about. Like a whole keep full of mages," she took a deep breath. "What do we do now?"

"Obviously first we must open the door. We have to get in somehow," Xarldas snorted as he walked past her and towards the keep.

Lily looked furious, but she did not comment on the Altmer's joke, even as the elf laughed. Riku couldn't help but snicker and the duo's antics.

* * *

After so much work I am happy to bring you all the second chapter for this story, which I hope you all enjoyed. It took me a while to sit and work on it, mostly because a lot has happened in my life between the revision I made for chapter one (which you can go back and check out, though the changes are not that huge) and this chapter. I got a promotion at work (which I hate, go figure, I thought I would be glad for it) and my work schedule also changed which has devastated my sleeping hours. Not to mention a recent personal loss that shook my family and we are still recovering from it. Regardless, I was determined to finish this piece, which I hope is you your liking. Please leave a review for me, let me know what you like and what you think I can improve on, it will be greatly appreciated.


End file.
